The Knave of Hearts 1925

Maxfield Parrish made this painting, The Knave of Hearts, using his signature glazing technique to achieve a sense of almost supernatural luminosity. Look at the way the light seems to emanate from within the waterfall, and the figure. This painting is not about pure representation; it’s about constructing an idealised vision. Parrish's process involves building up layers of translucent colours, each layer adding depth and richness to the final image. The colours glow; the skin is smooth. Take a look at the detail in the figure's tunic, the folds are carefully rendered with a great sense of realism. And then contrast that with the almost dreamlike unreality of the landscape. Parrish wasn’t afraid to embrace the decorative, something that puts him in conversation with someone like Gustav Klimt, who created similarly stylised and dreamlike worlds. The truth is that art is an ongoing conversation, with ideas and images constantly being reinterpreted and reimagined across generations.